TVSquad

That was some Mad Men finale, wasn't it? If you haven't seen it yet, please stop reading now, because there was just too much going on for me not to just launch into some discussion.

OK, I'll wait until after the jump to really get into things. But, suffice to say, the end of season three left some characters going down a pretty well-determined path, but others have entered a sort of limbo state, where we don't quite know what their roles will be in season four.

The assassination of JFK on Sunday's episode of Mad Men may have been the catalyst for Betty Draper's "awakening," but it's been a long time coming.

Here comes my rant: I, for one, am sick and tired of seeing the women in this show get walked all over! I know it's the way things were back then, but the times they are a changin', so I'm hoping we'll get to see more women stand up and take charge of their lives.

I was cheering when Betty stood up to her lying, cheating, skank of a husband Don and told him she didn't love him anymore. Bonus points for driving off to meet your lover, Betty. Hopefully, he won't cheat on you.

Now if Joan would leave her loser fiance who raped her at the office and then went about his business like nothing happened -- that'd be the icing on this women's movement cake. I'd say that she and Roger Sterling belong together, but she's too good for him.

So ... Betty Draper is starting to get an inkling of Don's dark and secret past on Mad Men. In Sunday's episode, she found the box with all his secret things. Really, you'd think he would keep it in a safety deposit box or something. You can't just leave that stuff lying around the house, even in a locked desk drawer. Someone's bound to find it, just as Betty did.

My question is what will Betty do with this important information? She' s already been stung by Don's affairs, and now she's got this to contend with.

Lately, Don Draper has not been coming off as a very nice guy on Mad Men. In fact, he's been a complete jerk. However, if there's one thing positive about the tall, dark and handsome ad man, he's a great dresser. Jon Hamm looks amazing in Don Draper's suits. Well, now so can you. Brooks Brothers is selling the Mad Men Edition suit for a mere $998. (Hey, that's not a grand, unless you count tax).

Don't dawdle, though. There's only 250 suits in the limited edition run. The look is inspired by the Mad Men 1960's Madison Avenue style, which could also be the How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying look from the Broadway show or The Dick Van Dyke Show look, depending on your favorite reference point from the '60s.

For all of their problems and dalliances, Mad Men's Don and Betty Draper are one sexy couple. Sunday's episode, "Souvenir," was another stellar offering, and one of my favorite scenes was when Don and Betty pretended to be strangers in Rome, then went back to their room and made sweet love.

It made me swoon, not just because they're two really handsome people (her beehive-type hairdo was something else), but also because I felt like I was part of the whole deception involving the Italian guys at the cafe. Very fun.

And this, after Betty accepted a kiss from Henry Francis after the courtroom scene. She's such a cold fish with these things, and I have to wonder if she's just doing it to get back at Don for his affairs. She doesn't seem to enjoy the attention of other men. She doesn't seem to enjoy much of anything. Bob likened it to Revolutionary Road, and I quite agree. And it's no wonder Sally has repressed anger issues. She comes by it honestly.

Does it seem like somebody lit a fire under Oprah Winfrey? It seems like it to me. Her new season commenced this week with the Whitney Houston two-parter, she's off to Central Park for tomorrow show which will relaunch Oprah's Book Club, and on Monday Oprah's doing a flashback to the 1960's with Mad Men's Jon Hamm and January Jones as guests.

(S03E03) It might be a Saturday, but there was work to be done at Sterling Cooper. At the Draper house, Gene was discovering that Sally could be both an ally and an adversary, and is certainly an interesting child. Was Betty like Sally as a child, you have to wonder? Meanwhile, Roger and Jane hosted a garden party on derby day which was a reason for some of the staff to rub elbows.

But not all. Peggy, Smitty and Paul were stuck working on Bacardi at the office, but that wasn't a reason not to party. Peggy's new secretary, Olive, seems to want to be a surrogate mother to Peggy. She worries over her, much to Peggy's surprise. More on that later.

Jane was a source of irritation for Joan when she appeared at the office, and if looks could kill, Joan had her slayed. You could just tell it was one of those, "It could have been me moments" for Joan.

Sometimes ratings can paint such interesting portraits of the American audience. Mad Men set a series high and ranked as the top show on cable Sunday with its third season premiere. And yet, its victory on the night was only 0.1 million viewers over the premiere of E!s Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami.

Those K&K numbers make it the new highest premiere on E! since The Anna Nicole Show premiered. A record briefly held by Kendra's premiere earlier this summer.

So one the one hand we have one of the most deservedly acclaimed television shows of the past decade, and right there with it, running neck and neck, is yet another reality spin-off featuring rich people who are only famous because ... they're famous. I blame Paris Hilton. She was one of the first people who got famous for doing absolutely nothing.

(S03E01) The more things change, the more they stay the same. Don has returned to Betty, the baby's on the way, but all's not right in Don's world. There's turmoil in the office and a current of unrest thanks to the British takeover of Sterling Cooper.

But if you hoped, or believed, that Don's sojourn to Los Angeles and his contemplation of another life was a wake-up call, think again. Don Draper remains Dick Whitman. A leopard doesn't change his spots.

When I was in LA a couple of weeks ago, I was among a number of critics who were able to get a look at the first episode of Mad Men's third season, and I have to tell you, I liked it a lot.

Here's the problem: What do I say about it?

In the various conversations the other critics and I had with Matt Weiner, Jon Hamm and the rest of the cast during the TCAs, we were very politely asked not to reveal anything about the show, especially when it comes to when the first episode takes place. Remember that there was a two-year jump between seasons one and two, and I guess Weiner wants to keep the timeframe a secret this time around.

"You're going to get to see stuff before the audience does," said Weiner about me and my fellow critics. "Let them have the same experience you had."

Fair enough. But without the timeframe and a couple of other tidbits, it's tough to talk much about season three. But I'm gonna try. If I spoil anything, it'll be after the jump.

First of all, I have to say that I'm terribly distracted at the moment, because my daughter is watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even though I just watched it a few months ago, I wouldn't mind watching the entire series again from start to finish. But, alas, there are other things in my stack o' DVDs, so I'll have to be content with hearing it in the background while I work. She just watched the first two eps, and I had totally forgotten that Darla showed up in the very first episode. Interesting. Anyways...

I'll get back to The Wire -- I still have season five to watch -- but this week's Jane After Dark is all about Mad Men. Sometimes I fall deeply and madly in love with a TV show, and that's how it is with AMC's love letter to the 1960s. I raced through season one right after it was released on DVD, but stupidly waited for season two on DVD. I bought it last week and watched the entire season, devouring it like a hearty tenderloin that's perfectly cooked, so I'd be caught up for the season three premiere on August 16. If you haven't watched season two yet, spoilers follow after the jump...

I'm not going to lie to you: Pretty much my whole life right now is leading up to the Mad Men season 3 premiere on August 16. I'm so excited, I'm practically vibrating. You can judge me if you want, but I'm perfectly fine with my priorities.

Anyway, like the rest of the internet, I have been salivating for any Mad Men morsel that AMC deigns to share with the unwashed masses. So, yes. I was super-psyched about the water-logged Don Draper promo poster that came out a few weeks ago, and yes, I totally Mad Men'd myself.

So obviously, I was ridiculously excited to see that Zap2It had a whole crop of new Mad Men promo photos. Jon Hamm! January Jones! Christina Hendricks! John Slattery! There may be a chance that there's a more conventionally good-looking cast out there, but I defy you to find a sexier cast on television. Seriously. If you have any suggestions, I welcome them, because I cannot imagine anything you would actually come up with that would beat the power, glory, and pure sexiness of Mad Men.

The folks at our sister site Cinematical are working hard to give you news and reviews of the best -- and worst -- the silver screen has to offer. Here are some of their musings on the latest blockbusters, indies, and everything in between:

• As much as I love Seth Rogen, Observe and Report looks just a little too much like Paul Blart: Mall Cop for my tastes. Read the review and see if it's actually worth checking out this weekend.
• I would say that not only should Jon Hamm be in more movies, but Jon Hamm should be in every movie. Crazy? Maybe. Awesome? Definitely.
• If you have kids who are into Miley Cyrus, you're going to be seeing Hannah Montana this weekend, regardless of the reviews. However, it may not hurt to read one just to see what you may be getting yourself into.
• 8 Mile and Die Hard reimagined as 50s French Classics? Uh, okay. Why not?
• Cinematical puts out a call for women who hate The Big Lebowski. I am definiitely not one of them.

Have you ever had a fantasy in which you had lunch with your favorite television celebrity? Well, if you have the cash on hand, now's your chance. Celebrity lunches up for auction include Jon Hamm, Nathan Fillion and Kevin Smith, among others (Patrick Duffy? He's still around?). All proceeds benefit the Adrienne Shelly Foundation for female filmmakers.

Honestly, if you did participate in the auction and win one of the lunches, what would you say to the person? I've been tongue-tied in front of celebrities before, when I was much younger. Would you simply ask how they're doing? Would you try to promote that script you've been working on for year? Would you have to buy the lunch, or would the celebrity pay?

The folks at our sister site Cinematical are working hard to give you news and reviews of the best -- and worst -- the silver screen has to offer. Here are some of their musings on the latest blockbusters, indies, and everything in between:

• I love Friday the 13th and am totally psyched for the new one that just came out. If you need to catch up on the franchise, check out Cinematical's Obsessive-Compulsive Guide to the Friday the 13th Movies.
• I never saw the recent Brandon Routh Superman movie, but if they recast the role of Superman with Jon Hamm, I'll be there in a second. Cinematical asks "when do you recast a character?"
• Felicity Huffman playing a role other than Lynette Scavo? I'm in. Check out the trailer for her new movie, Phoebe in Wonderland.
• Remember how I said I love Friday the 13th? Well, I do. If you do too, check out Cinematical Seven: Jason's Greatest Kills.
• ...Nightmare on Elm Street, on the other hand, doesn't quite do it for me. Cinematical's Scott Weinberg, however, does not agree. In fact, a new Freddy Krueger is totally cool with him.